Trend Jacking- Three Tips for Success

At this point, you’ve probably seen the amazing back and forth between Jake Shane and Sugarfish. Talk about making the most of a moment, Sweetfin, a more affordable brand in the category (that appeals directly to Jake’s follower base, by the way) took opportunity and ran. They turned someone else’s disgruntled customer, who happens to have a massive following, into not just a brand advocate but a spokesperson! 

Within in a week of the Sugarfish incident, Sweetfin announced a collaboration with Jake Shane.  Giving him his own poke bowl at selected locations. This move proves our three things we have seen work time and time again when it comes to news- or trend-jacking: 1) Be Bold, 2) Move Quickly and 3) Keep it Simple  

Sweetfin Instagagram Reels

Be Bold: If we had to guess, there may have been some team members at Sweetfin that would have rather played it safe. Instead, the brand inserted themselves into a negative situation and took a calculated risk that it would reflectively positively on them.   

Move Quickly: Sweetfin secured buy-in, both internally and with Jake, within a week. A WEEK! Proactively creating clear lines of communication within your brand for when you want to move on a reactive opportunity is imperative to success. 

Keep it Simple: Can you imagine if Sweetfin tried to roll this collab out nationally? As our restaurant clients can attest…operationally impossible. They made the poke bowl available at  ‘select locations.’ Sweetfin still saw widespread coverage and buzz while making it something they could actually execute on. 

All in all, PR Gold. Well done Sweetfin.